The Windows 8 Metro UI Could Get A New Name Thanks To Metro AG

The Metro branding is synonymous with Windows 8, for better or worse, but could go from the operating system. Microsoft is telling developers to avoid references to the name, possibly due to a copyright issue.

Metro? Yeah, stop saying the word. Microsoft is telling developers as much, seemingly because of a copyright issue

Metro is Microsoft’s term for describing the tile-based UI in Windows 8, also used on Windows Phone and the Xbox 360 dashboard, but is changing within a week. Microsoft is announcing a replacement for the branding, due to a copyright issue according to ZDNet.

If you’re developing an app for Windows 8 or Windows Phone, then stop referring to Metro. Microsoft has sent the message to developers, instead saying to use New User Interface which is undoubtedly a placeholder. An anonymous source speaking to technology website The Verge claims the reason for the change is because of a dispute between Microsoft and a German company.

The company is called Metro AG (no prizes for guessing where the disputes is). While AG hasn’t commented on the dispute reports, Microsoft confirmed to the website it is replacing the Metro name. A Microsoft spokesperson insisted to The Verge Metro is simply a codename used throughout development, and will transition to a new name as consumer retail approaches. The expectation was Metro would continue into release, and beyond.

Shouldn’t This Have Been Sorted Out Ages Ago?

ZDNet reported the issue is due to a copyright dispute, and possibly due to overbranding. That is, Microsoft labelled everything related to the Metro design with the same term and consequently leading to confusion.

The Verge also posted an internal memo claiming the rebranding is happening. It’s due, according to the memo, discussions with a European partner. Employees must stop using Metro immediately, and the Windows Team at Microsoft is working on a replacement term. It could be announced by this weekend: the memo got sent through Microsoft this week, and the memo says the new term will be revealed by the end of the week.

Microsoft chose Metro because its clean and modern, fast, and in motion. So the new name will be – let’s think – subway, or … it’s not my job to think of names. Before the imminent announcement, suggests names below you’d like to see.

Written by:Jon Charles Jonathan is a writer on the technology and video game industries. He is comfortable with using Mac OS X and Windows; he began using Windows with Windows XP during his early double-digit years, and started using OS X in 2009 on a MacBook Pro. He began gaming on the SNES back in the 90s.